Refining alcohol



Aug. 31 1926.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 14, 1922 Aug- 31 1926.

E. A. BARBET REFINING ALCOHOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 14, 1922 E. A. BARBET REFINING ALCOHOL Filed Nov. 14, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Aug. 31, 1926.

Aug. 31, 1926.

v E. A. BARBET REFINING ALCOHOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 14, 1922 Patented Aug. 31, 182% EMILE AUGUSTIN BARBET, F PARIS, JFGE.

nnrmnie enoonor.

Application filed. November 14, 1922, Serial fie. 600,971, and in France November 15, 1921.

This invention relates to the production of absolute alcohol.

The standard method of producing absolute alcohol consists in dehydratin rectified alcohol (of 95/96 of quick lime in powder form. tion is efi'ected in a still steam jacket and furnished Gay-Lussac) y means he operaprovided with a with an agitator.

The quick lime and alcohol are caused to come into intimate contactwith one another for a few hours before distillation by means of the. agitator Uwing to the great expelling the alcohol l powder and alcohol, the distilling oplime from the mixture of eration is prolonged and the whole of the alcohol cannot be recovered. p

The invention will be described in detail with cohol reference to the accompanying draw ings which illustrate suitable arrang Figure l bein in section of ap by way of example ements of apparatus,

g a view in elevation part1 paratus adapted to treat alwhich has already been concentrated 1:3 to 96 Gray-Lussac or thereabouts, and

Figure 2 adapted for is a similar view of apparatus use in treating crude alcoholic liquors which are first concentrated to 96 Gay-Lussac and then further Figures 3 and native constructi the alcohol of this strength concentrated, while 3 illustrate a further alteron.

is a large mixer i1uick lime n the figsheet-iron But an; e of mixer may be adopte be thoroughly Several in order cession after the alcohol has been agitated with the solid dehydrating agent for able period.

a suit- B is the valve through which. the mixture is admitted to the the reheating a reheating app pump 0 which delivers it to pparatus D. In Figure 1 the aratus comprises a coil and it the heating is obtained by the alcohol va pours coming from the continuous still E.

Owing to the nature still E is also provided of the mixture, the

the semi-cylindrical bottom being heated by .151; the steam jacket IE alcohol begin The vapours of absolute condense in the heater D,

dificulty met with in 1 plates K an alcohol rectifying column L opwith stirring arms,

and then the liquid and the remainder out the vapours cool in the cooler G- (which is a tubular or coil cooler); finally the cold absolute alcohol flows away through the testing device H which is of miown construc tion.

For rendering the operation continuous, only three-fourths or tour-fifths of the alcohol entering the still E'are distilled ofi' therein the mixture of alcohol and lime thickens as the alcohol is driven ofi' but must remain sufiiciently liquid so that permanenty an excess issuesthrough the pipe e and proceeds towards the continuous exhauster K, L. It is advantageous to go as far as possible withthisthiokening action, so as to ohtain the maximum quantity of absolute aly which flows continuously through the funnel T and a siphon pipe into a pipe 6 and dilutes the residue.

The exhauster apparatus K, L is intended not only to enable the entire alcohol oontent of the thickened mixture to be recovered, but also to raise this alcohol to about 96 so that it may return to the dehydrating apparatus A.

he lower section K is provided with bubbling plates which must be of such construc tion that they will not become coated with lime. One of the most practical types of plate is the perforated plate, as in this case the material over the entire surface is agitated and no/deposition for solid material thereon can take place,

Many difficulties are obviated by the present invention as the base M is heated by means of a steam bubbler; the steel bubbles throu h the material on the plates and replaces t e alcohol which is driven or forced towards the top' of the column, The alcohol however becomes highly hydrated by the introduction of this water vapour and this is why there is arranged above the crating in known manner to secure a further concentration of the alcohol.

'lhe recovered alcohol is raised to 96 Gay-Lussao. llt flows throu h the pipe it towards the testing device l l The excess refiuxes through the pipe n to the upper part or L The residual liquid of the bottom being till panying drawings.

rather thick, the necessary measures will have to be taken to avoid deposits and ob structions therein; to this end the bottom is made conical and all the lime sludge passes therefrom to the extractor Q which is of the float type. This extractor is adapted to maintain a constant level in the base M; the fioat g controlling the exit valve R.

A simplification of the invention as illustrated in Figure 1 will now be described with reference to Figure 2 of With the plant shown in Figure 2 the previous treatment of the cold, alcohol with quicklimej is dispenscdwith and a single rectifying apparatus is used for the production of the alcohol at 96 which is to be dehydrated and at the same time for exhausting and revivifying the lime sludge alhehydic impurities on the top issuing from the As shown in rectifier. The crude alcohol containing liquor, the rateof feed of which is controlled by the cock V, is heated in the tubular apparatus X which may receive its steam from the lower part of the column K.

absolute alcohol still.

The hot crude alcohohc liquid rises by way of the p hausting column The vapours leaving the pe a: -tothe upper plate of the exrectiiili' 'ng column L pass to the cooler condenser a called Pasteurized alcohol) to be withdrawn a from the second or third plate of the column E. This still is divided into two byway ofthe pipe u whereas the remainder, which is the greater part, descends from plate to plate and alcoholic vapours. The Pasteurized alcohol thus drawn ofi is boiling. The testing device" U serves for measuring the hourly volume which is drawn off and which is about to enter the absolute-alcohol still E parts by a partition E. The first portion of the stirrer is not heated; it serves for mixing together and producing'a sufiiciently prolonged intimate contact of the boiling alcohol and lime. The high temperature'accelcrates the dehydration. The powdered quicklime is stored in a trough O. P is an automatic feeder working on a known principle; the plug ,of the tap P has a recesscapable of containing -a constant weight of the accom-,

Figure 2, L .is. the singlerectifies the ascending 1,598,54&

powdered lime. When this recess is turned upwards it becomes filled with lime and when, by the action of the beltpulley p, the plug has made half a revolution the said recess discharges its contents into the dehydrator. v

By increasin the number of revolutions per minute of the recessed cock P, the rate of feed of quicklime is increased. The

guantity of reagent admitted can there- 1 ore be proportioned as desired and; the cock forms at the same time a fluid-tight closure preventing any loss of alcohol vapour.

The right-hand portion E of the mixer is provided with a double bottom F heated by steam, preferably exhaust steam. This constitutes the still which exactly operates as in Figure 1. G is a-condenser, H the test device for the absolute alcohol, S the hot water cock for diluting the alcoholic lime sludge issuing through the pipe 6. lhis alcoholic sludge, instead of being regenerated in a special rectifying column, as in Figure 1, passes to the single exhausting column K wherein it mixes with the crude unrectified alcoholic liquid and is exhausted of its alcohol at the same time as the latter.

Naturallygt is desirable that this exhausting column should be provided with nonchokable plates as above referred to. lhe base M of this column and the outlet regulator Q, for the milk of lime free from alcohol are identical to those of Figure 1.

- The alcohol vapour recovered from the alcoholic lime sludges is subjected to recti-' fication up to 96 Gay-Lussac in the col umn L.

Briefly it may be said that the plant illustrated in Figure 2 by reason of the accessory parts which it comprises, constitutes a continuous rectifier for crude and unrectifi'ed alcohol which instead of rectifying up to 96/97 .Gay-Lussacefiects immediately a continuous rectification up to 99 /100 Gay- Lussac, this result being obtained by the addition of a dehydrating chemical reaction to the usual physical method of refining alcohols. As will be understood, the dehydration of the alcohol b the lime can be rendered continuous on y by solving the difficulty of the dry exhaustion of the residual lime. In the process described, the lime is freed from its alcohol by direct bubbling of water vapour, which maintains it in the form of a fluid mass and in a condition adapted to permit its extraction continuously. From this derives the necessity of dividing the operation in two phases and the small inconvenience of obtaining only about the threefourths or the four-fifths of the alcohol in the pure condition, the remainedr being only at 96 and must return to the dehydration. But, on the other hand, the operation can give daily hundreds of hectolitrcs-of pure gleeaaae alcohol in a single apparatus and the losses of alcohol are nil.

It is possible to operate in a simpler man-' tively to pure alcohol (0 94), the separation is easily effected. The lime sludge falls in 1 the lower cone J and issues through a valve controlled by the hand-wheel y: it then en:-

ters the continuous rectifying apparatus It, L, for obtaining the recuperation of the alcohol. As previously, the flowin of this thick sludge is facilitated b ad 'tion of tepid water (from the vesse Y and inlet branch y) I The limpid alcohol floats at the surface and enters into the still Z, double-bottom e.

As this alcohol, although limpid, still con tains some traces of lime, a precipitation of this lime is effected by degrees on the heating surface. This is noticed by the diminution of the power of distillation.

It sufiices then to stop the feeding of the still and to exhaust it up to dryness. This being done, the cleaning can be effected, either by opening the cover so as to be able to take ofli the scales by hand, or in a simpler manner by introducing through the hole Z water to which has been added a small quantity of hydrochloric acid for dissolving the deposit.

Once the dissolution is terminated, the liquid is emptied through the lower cock Z, the still is rinsed, dried by assing steam through the double bottom and the distilling operation can be again effected.

The other operations are carried out as previously.

'ing along of feared, this colloidal lime soiling the alcohol rather great I rela heated by a steam I The new method of operation has however this advantage that the distillation being reflected on a nearly limpid liquid, the drawcolloidal lime is no longer to be in an almost irremediable manner, unless resorting to a second distillation.

Claims.

1. The continuous process for the production of absolute alcohol in large quantities by dehydration by means of a solid de-- hydrating agent, which consists essentially in intimately mixing alcohol of 95/96 Gay- Lussac in the state of liquid with the dehydrating agent in the form of powder, subjecting the mixture to distillation, collecting the absolute alcohol, withdrawing from the still the residual liquid mixture when partially deprived of its alcohol, diluting the mixture with water and subjectin the diluted mixture to distillation and rectlfication to exhaust it of alcohol and to obtain an alcoholic distillate of 96 adapted to be subjected to dehydration.

2A process for the production of absolute alcohol which comprises treating a mixture of alcohol and water with a dehydrating agent, distilling ofi' a portion of the alcoho from the mixture, diluting the residual portion, resulting from said distillation, with water and distilling the diluted re sidual portion so as to obtaina distillate of aqueous alcohol for the step. a

3. A process for the production of abso dute alcohol which comprises treating a mix- EMIL AUGUSTIN BARBET.

said dehydrating 

